Shiftable shade



y 27, 1952 H. H. MULLEN 2,598,588

SHIFTABLE SHADE Filed Aug. 28, 1950 I N VEN TOR.

Patented May 27, 1952 UNITED]: STATES PATENT; OFFICE SHIFTABLE SHADE Harris Hopkins Mullen, Tampa, Fla. 8 V

f "impli tion August 28, 1950, Serial No. 181,787 I (e1.1s 5

J r ZClaims.

This invention relates'to adjustable out-door shades, canopies or awnings to shelter any part of the body from the rays of the sun.

Its primary purpose is to provide a simple, durable, efficient and inexpensive means to furnish protection from over-exposure to sun, or to give shelter from wind or from wind-blown sand, as when at-a beach or at a picnic.

A further object is to provide a light, strong, and-easily adjustable means for holding a flexible fabric shield in'any desired position.

Another object is to construct the shelter so that'the rigid, metallic portions can be folded closely together and rolledwithin the fabric into a very compact form for carrying or for storage.

In the drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device in a normal erect position and with the awning member tilted; Fig. 2 is plan view of the device with the metal members folded and ready to be rolled within the fabric; Fig. 3 is a perspective showing a user adjusting the shade; Fig. 4 is a rear view showing the use of the pocket-strap on the lower face of the shade; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the device rolled into a compact bundle.

The supporting framework is shown as comprising uprights I and 2, preferably consisting of fiat strips of aluminum, connected by a pivot 3 to permit one to be folded parallel with the other, and a transverse member 4, connected by the pivot 5 with the member 2 near the end remote from the member I. The member 4 is shown as bent near each end to form supporting portions 6 and I, both projecting from the same face of the strip.

A flexible awning member 8 of any suitable fabric is shown as having end hems 9 and I II and side hems II. Within the hem 9 and extending across substantially the entire width of the member 8 is a spreader I2, preferably formed of a stiff wire of stainless steel. Near its center, this straight wire passes through a screwthreaded tension member I3 which enters the hem at an opening I4 in its outer edge. Within the hem I0, is another spreader, also of the same kind of wire, having a straight portion I5 extending across the member 8 along the inside of the outer edge of the hem, the wire of the spreader being cut in a semicircular loop at I6 and having a straight portion I'l returning parallel with the portion I5 nearly to the center of the hem where it is bent sidewise toward the hem at I8 and is formed with a hook or loop I9 encircling the portion l5 of the spreader through an opening 20 in-the outeredge of the hem III.

The wire of this spreader'passes through an opening near the outer end of the projecting portion 6 of the frame member 4. 'As seen in Fig. 1, in the operative position of the awning member 8, the end of this portion B'l'ies opposite the opening 20 in the center of the hem between the bend I8 and the hookor loop IS. The projecting portion 1 at the other end of the member 4- is engaged near its end by the tension member l3 on which is a winged thumbnut 2|. The outer end of the portion 1 is preferably bifurcated as seen at 22-in' Fig. '5' to permit the end of the tension member to be swung sidewise into engagement with this supporting member without removal of the winged. nut. The nut is unscrewed outward to the end of the tension member and the fabric is pulled toward the end of the member! to:1et the bifurcated end slide between the inner face of the nut and the hem 9 onto the tension member. Any slack remaining in thefabricafter theparts' are thus sprung together can be takenup by. turningthe nut on the stem of the tension member. .This will increase the friction and tend to hold the member 8 at any angle to which it may be adjusted.

In Fig. 2, the parts are shown as ready for rolling up to form a package. The tension member has been slipped out of engagement with the portion I and the end of the portion 6 has been slid along the wire section I! from the bend at I8 to the bend at I5. The supporting member 2 has been swung on the pivot 5 parallel with the transverse supporting member 4 and the upright member I has been swun on the pivot 3 parallel with both members 2 and 4. When rolled together within the fabric, a small, neat, and compact bundle results as shown in Fig. 5.

The lower outer end of the upright I is preferably pointed as indicated at 23 in Fig. 4 in broken lines for easier thrusting into ground or said.

With the awning member 8 held spread out, the upright I can usually be set to hold it to provide shade from the sun or shelter from wind or wind-blown sand wherever needed, but the pivots 3 and 5 and the pivotal connections of the spreaders of the member 8 with the member 4 enable the user to swing the parts into many positions with slight efiort without changing the location or tilt of the member I.

A pocket-strap 24 of a suitable heavy material ma be secured at its ends to the awning member 8 when the sewing is done to form the end seams. The space between this strap and the awning material provides a handy place for sunglasses, cigarettes, brushes, combs or sun tan lotion to hold them protected from sand, sun, or rain.

The member 4 is shown in Fig. 1 as substantially horizontal and the upright member I as tilted to ,hold the canopy 8 oifto one side of its support, though it is evident that 'in practice, the canopy will be placed wherever desired to secure the sort of protection needed at the time. In Fig. 1, the member 8 is tilted at about 4541c.- grees to the horizontal and seen from one side, while in Fig. 2, its full size is seen in plan. The tilt of about 15 degrees of the member inFig. 1, holds the member 2 at about 45 degrees to the horizontal, and this difference of about 30 degrees is brought aboutgpy bending each of the members I and ,2 at alittle distance from the pivot 3 to the same amount of about 15 degrees,

so-that when folded to the position shown in Fig. 2, their major straight portions lie parallel. Similarly, the membersz and A arebent atabout degrees at a-little distance from the pivot 5. ;In swinging the members about their pivots from the folded position to'the extended position, these angular differences are added. The effect of these added inclinations enables a small tilt; of theupright l to carry the member Aand the awning member .8 pra t ca ly l e with a certain extra space to givegreater freedom of movement for the. user. I

wYVhile a -.specifi. embcdime to t e i on has be n illustrated fer pur ose f the d e i is y ntention to. cov r al aneee and modifications of ,theexample of the invention-herein described which .do not constitute departures from the spirit of what is claimed.

71 Ashelter comprising .a' flexible awning member having a 17mm at .eachend, and a relatively rigidmetallicspreader. member having a straight portion .extending'along the awning member within one of the end hems and being curved outward from the side of the awning member to form a loop having -one side extending to a point opposite the center of the edge of the hem and into engagement with the straight portion of the spreader, and a supporting member slidable upon the loop from a position of engagement opposite the center of the hem and in supporting member when the flexible member is extended, to adjust the longitudinal tension of the flexible member,

In a c nepyre ex e member, e isidel ment extendin a sverse y the lexible member and having at each end supporting p01?- tions ly g u a d f om t en of t e fl ib embe the fl x ble .memb ha in a r lat vely id sp ead secured at eae end the ee spreade a Qn e d avi g ee i in .eei neetien th a ja e t .sizpperti e elemen to permit movem nt int paralle ism therew t and the pread a the ot er en havi threaded ten iqn'mem er wit a n the en en aeeab w t t ad acen sup rti eeleem whereby to adi-ustthe tension of the fle ible embe irom nsit end- I HARRIS .HQ KIN r YiIJLeLEN- eE EeENeee-e IED The following references are of record in the file .of this patent:

UNITED STATES eAreNi 

